The No. 6 North Carolina men’s soccer team (5-0-2, 2-0-0 ACC) prevailed over No. 18 North Carolina State (5-1-2, ACC 1-1-0) on Friday night in a 2-0 decision on Dorrance Field.
UNC’s defense was in high gear from the opening kick, dominating possession and pressuring turnovers near the midfield marker.
Senior forward Luke Hille was the first to attempt a shot in the match after just seven minutes of play. With one defender to beat, the Cary native’s kick was off high to the left of the post.
In the 11th minute, however, Hille found the back of the net, thanks to a headed ball from a member of N.C. State’s back line. Hille — a former Wolfpack member who led N.C. State in goals with seven during his 2023 junior campaign — lifted his new Tar Heel squad to an early 1-0 advantage.
“The guys around me, they were all so focused,” Hille said. “They knew the elephant in the room, but we stayed strong to what was the game plan and it worked for us tonight.”
North Carolina kept the control on its side, with junior defender Charlie Harper and senior midfielder Andrew Czech each notching a shot to the net over the next few minutes. Harper’s attempt landed into the hands of N.C. State goalkeeper Logan Erb, and Czech’s soared past the top right of the frame. The Wolfpack delivered its first attempt in the 23rd minute, but the shot landed behind the goal’s mesh and, after an unsuccessful N.C. State corner kick, back into the possession of the Tar Heels.
With under two minutes to go in the first period, UNC goalkeeper Andrew Cordes deflected a one-on-one shot from the right side in close range. The redshirt junior barely pushed the ball away from the mesh in a diving effort with his right glove to keep the Tar Heels ahead going into halftime.
“We’ve been working really hard at trying to stay compact, limit the balls over the top and behind and we’re really good at stepping off and pressing balls that are through and over the top,” Cordes said.
N.C. State had the first quality window to score after less than 10 minutes of second half play. A Wolfpack opponent kicked the ball straight into the hands of Cordes from close distance, and a trailing player let a powerful kick loose, sending the ball high to the left of the post.
